The invention relates to a thin-film magnetic head comprising a substrate, a magnetoresistive element, a first magnetically conducting flux guide having a non-magnetic space bridged by the magnetoresistive element, and a second magnetically conducting flux guide extending substantially parallel to the first flux guide for magnetic cooperation with said element, and a non-magnetic read gap adjacent to a head face extending between the flux guides and the first flux guide.
Patent magnetic head of this type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,640, herein incorporated by reference. The known magnetic head has a contact face for cooperation with a record carrier, and a magnetic yoke having two parallel limbs terminating in the contact face. A non-magnetic space is recessed in one of these limbs, which space is bridged by a strip of magnetoresistive material. The magnetic yoke, which forms a limb-defined read gap at the contact face, ensures that magnetic flux is collected at and returned to the strip of magnetoresistive material during operation, without this strip itself being in contact with the record carrier.
A drawback of the known magnetic head is that it is not only sensitive to magnetic flux associated with signals having shorter wavelengths, which flux originates from the record carrier part situated opposite the read gap, but is also sensitive to magnetic flux associated with signals having longer wavelengths, which flux is radiated directly into the magnetic yoke from the record carrier or from the exterior. This may easily cause distortion, in particular overdrive, particularly in applications in which a relatively large wavelength range must be read, as in audio applications in which long-wave signals of great strength are present on the record carrier. In other applications, such as in digital applications, the externally supplied signals disturb the signals entering via the read gap.